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Muttations
Muttations are Capitol-manufactured lifeforms mainly designed to cause terror and/or kill Tributes, though some are benign or even useful. Muttations were first used in the 10th Hunger Games and have become much more complex in the succeeding years. 10th Hunger Games The first muttations used were simple shark creations. Muttation technology was in its infancy at the time, and the modifications to existing shark genomes were minimal. The only change was that the saltwater sharks in the Arena (Great White sharks and Reef Sharks) were able to survive life in fresh water. 21st Hunger Games The Capitol's next experiment was more ambitious. Lean but deadly coyote mutts roamed the desert, hunting down Tributes who had no place to hide. Modifications included lengthened fangs, stronger and more lengthy frames, and enhanced intelligence, enabling the dogs to hunt like humans. 24th Hunger Games The 24th Hunger Games were hit-and-miss. The monstrous ''Sarcosuchus ''crocodile mutt was a resounding success even with minimal modifications. The mutt was larger than modern crocodiles and had gray skin and a toughened hide. The rodent mutts have gone down in history as the muttation makers' greatest embarrassment. Intended to be a vicious combination of muskrat and raccoon, they instead turned out docile and friendly. While they could be persuaded to fight if their enemy was smeared in honey, they otherwise preferred to be petted. While the mutts were a disaster in the Games, they proved immensely popular in the Capitol and the humiliated scientists were forced to spread their failures across the Capitol when President Galba forced them to comply to the demand for their muttations as pets. 25th Hunger Games The first Quarter Quell called for even more monstrous muttations. After the debacle of the previous year, the Gamemakers felt Galba's displeasure and had great incentive not to let it happen again. Drawing inspiration from ''The Hound of the Baskervilles, ''the Gamemakers created a pack of hulking, bloodthirsty dogs that glowed green in the dark and whose howls sounded like the wails of the damned. The dogs were also affected by the decay of the Arena and possessed tattered, peeling fur and skin and bites soaked with rabies. It was their greatest success yet. 28th Hunger Games Muttation technology quietly advanced during the three year period in which the Gamemakers incorporated no specimens in the Games. For a tropical archipelago Arena, the Gamemakers covered land and sea. The first mutt was a solid black thresher shark with enhanced jumping abilities and intelligence, allowing it to stalk and track Tributes. The second mutt was a snake with one simple but effective alteration: it was fifty feet long, far more massive than any real snake. It lacked venom, being a constrictor, but that was deadly enough. 30th Hunger Games For the first entirely indoor and artificial Arena, inspiration for mutts was hard to come by. At their wits' end, the Gamemakers designed a large, ratlike rodent, which lived in a crack in the wall of one store. After killing one Tribute, the mutt was killed by the second Tribute it attacked and faded into obscurity.